Union Home Minister Amit Shah rejected a ceasefire offer given by Maoists on Sunday, saying that if the extremists want to surrender and lay down arms, they are most welcome to do so and security forces would not fire a single bullet on them.

This is the first time that a top central government functionary has reacted to the ceasefire offer given by the Naxals about a fortnight ago.

Amit Shah said, “Recently, to spread confusion, a letter was written stating that what has happened so far has been a mistake, that a ceasefire should be declared, and that we [Naxals] want to surrender.”

“I want to say there will be no ceasefire. If you want to surrender, there is no need for a ceasefire. Lay down your arms, not a single bullet will be fired,” Amit Shah added.

Addressing the valedictory session of a seminar on ‘Naxal Mukt Bharat’, Shah also hit out at Left parties for extending ideological support to the Left Wing Extremism and dismissed their arguments that lack of development led to the Maoist violence.

He said it was due to the “red terror” that development could not reach many parts of the country for several decades.

He said if the Naxals want to surrender, a red carpet welcome awaits them with a “lucrative” rehabilitation policy.